Obama/Wright “Divorce” Deepens Rifts in African-American Communities

” Political power, properly so called , is merely the organized power of one class for oppressing another….” Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto.
Wright preaches Liberation Theology which is ( nutshell ) Marxism wrapped in the Baby Jesus. AA’s are disappointed in Obama’s rejection of Wright which they see as phony as the rest of us. Wright has tried to frame his theology as mainstream which it is not and other AA clergy are speakng out.

Will some of the AAs in IN and NC switch sides as a result?

For a while now, I have felt bad, in a way, for the AAs that were supporting him, maybe because he was black and seemed to be a likable and articulate man. Yet from the beginning, he lacked substance, never really showed loyalty to any one, including Americans as a whole. There are many AAs with the substance and character that MLK spoke of … that will most certainly be President one day.

Obama is a product of marketing, and demonstrating that he is capable of turning his back on everything and everyone to propel his own ambition and agenda.

While I do not agree with the World View of Rev Wright, he actually earned my respect during the last public appearances that he had. I could see a man of substance and willing to stand for what he believes in regardless of personal cost and public opinion. I like that in a person.

His character and substance puts Obama to shame, and his speaking capabilities are head and shoulders over Obama.

Funny that I was looking for someplace to post the column that will follow.

Barack Obama has done so much damage to so many people black and white. As an amalgam of the two races, he might have brought to each what the other cannot understand.

You will laugh with me when I tell you that the column I am pasting here appeared in the “ethics” discussion in the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

No one said being a prophet would be easy.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright forcefully spoke out on issues from racism to the Iraq war as he built a Chicago church from 87 members to more than 6,000. Trinity United Church of Christ now offers 70 ministries to help raise up its impoverished neighborhood.

Wright’s fiery preaching inspired thousands, including a young Barack Obama, to put their faith into practice, starting in the streets of Chicago and then as far as their dreams could take them. For Obama, that includes becoming the first black president.

What no one counted on was a political cul ture that would reduce thousands of sermons into a couple of shock ing sound bites that portray the pastor and former Marine as racist and anti-American. And that the controversy would go so far that Wright and Obama would turn against each other in public.

For black and white religious leaders, it is a sad day in American politics.

Hillary Clinton, Obama’s opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination, and right-wing commentators have exploited fears among significant numbers of white voters by creating a “scary” black figure in Wright, religious critics say. A campaign that had been historic in its ability to transcend race is mired in old racial divisions.

“This whole thing has had nothing at all to do with Jeremiah Wright,” said the Rev. Marvin McMickle, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland. “This was an attack on the prospect of a black president.”

What America is left with is not a national discussion on racial and economic injustice that would have been a serious response to Wright’s ministry. We are left with a political conversation on how much Obama will suffer from being a member of Wright’s church.

It didn’t have to be this way.

The unprecedented attack on Obama because of his pastor began with the charge that Trinity United Church of Christ was racist because of its motto, “Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian.” How many presidential candidates whose churches have been unashamedly all-white have received similar criticism?

By sifting through years of Wright’s sermons, critics found incendiary comments in which Wright uses an obscenity to refer to the United States or says it could be called the “U.S. of KKK-A.”

Missing from much of the conversation is the context of those lengthy sermons on a history of racial injustice and economic subjugation of the poor that religious leaders of many faiths have railed against. Within the tradition of the black church, where pastors often are expected to be social and political advocates, provocative sermons provide hope and inspire reform.

That pastors such as Wright sometimes cross the line on reasonable discourse was evident this week when Wright affirmed his earlier statements that AIDS may have been a government conspiracy against blacks.

Obama rightly disowned this allegation and others as “a bunch of rants that aren’t grounded in truth.”

But what we cannot do is silence pastors as they challenge us. Nor can we allow Obama’s political opponents to use Wright to feed racial prejudices.

When he first addressed Wright’s comments in March, Obama said Americans need to acknowledge the profound misunderstandings we have on race and work to heal those wounds.

“If we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care or education or the need to find good jobs for every American,” he said.

Those are the words of a prophet.

Great post, Susan. This also confirms it. According to Barone, post Wrightgate, Obama’s numbers are “tanking.”

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/05/michael_barone_on_obamawright.html

” A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject ”
Winston Churchill
Pastor Wright is a fanatic pure and simple. Outside of Chicago the fallacy of his politics and theology are glaring. He has enough charisma to fire up an audience but beyond Marxism there is nothing of substance to what he purports to teach. He is a fascist in the classic tradition.

This Blogger jlazard10 from UNN, is assuming that Obama is only “now” not being true to himself by throwing Rev. Wright under the bus. How does he/she know that Obama was a true believer? I think most of us believe that Obama was only a member of Trinity church for the past 20 years because it provided him with the political acumen in certain segments of the AA community he was hoping to garner. Again, people are giving him far too much credit. I don’t think Obama knows what he thinks so for anyone else to claim knowledge of his inner workings is a fools errand.

Obama is a product of marketing, and demonstrating that he is capable of turning his back on everything and everyone to propel his own ambition and agenda

Now that’s a statement I can stand behind. Amen.

It’s karaoke time once again!

Artist: The Rev. J Wright (supported by the Rev. Otis Moss III)
Song: Barack Is Black?

Barack is black
I want my baby Barack
But he’s gray, he’s gray
And he has gone away, Ooh-Ooh
What can I do
‘Cause I-I-I-I-I’m feelin’ blue

If I had my way
He won’t be Barack today
But he don’t intend
To see me again, Ooh-Ooh
What can I do
‘Cause I-I-I-I-I’m feelin’ blue

I can’t choose
Ain’t too much to lose
My love’s too strong
Wow! Maybe if he
would come Barack to me
Then it can’t go wrong

He’s bad, he’s bad
That I feel so sad
It’s time, it’s time
That I found peace of mind, Ooh-Ooh
What can I do
‘Cause I-I-I-I-I’m feelin’ blue

I can’t choose
Ain’t too much to lose
My love’s too strong
Wow! Maybe if he
would come Barack to me
Then it can’t go wrong

Barack ain’t black
I want my baby Barack
He’s gray, he’s gray
And he’s gone away, Ooh-Ooh
What can I do
‘Cause I-I-I-I-I’m feelin’ blue
‘Cause I-I-I-I-I’m feelin’ blue

May 03, 2008

Rasmussen Presidential Poll

Clinton 47
Obama 44

SIGN UP today

Please sign up today at Forum….to be ready to contact every one of your superdelegates.

I’ll be posting some messages soon.

Hillary cannot win enough pledged delegates……..superdelegates are ignoring Wright. Since PA 12 Superdelegates have gone to BO and 10 to Hillary.

sign up today to be able to send messages at the Forum….we’re about to lose this if we don’t get superdelegates attention.

URGENT

Sign up– just so we can share info. in future. Post nothing here.

http://www.hillaryclintonforum.net/discussion/

Hmmmm……..Characteristic of an empty suit…..No ?
I think that actually Obama had a very close relationship to this man Wright. Obama and his wife were desciples both theologically and politically ( as the two are inseparable with Liberation Theology ). The split with Wright is PERSONAL and both men respond as personally aggrieved by the actions of the other. The master puppeteer Wright has had to give way to the CRACKERMAN power brokers that are now pushing Obama in this race and Wright et, al. don’t like it. Obama will begin to look like the Uncle Tom’s that Wright and Sharpton rail against.

” Fanaticism consists in redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim…..” G. Sanayana. The Life of Reason

The Uppity Negro Network. What a great site – thoughtful posts with a perspective that I could never have.

Thank you for linking it – it’s provided me a place to go to continue my own personal dialog on race relations in my life and in my country.

More people should check them out!

The reap/sow axiom applies to Obama as we watch his downfall…

Et tu, Brute?

I sensed the same too, Susan, after reading a post by blogger Skeptical Brother. After struggling with his conscience in the polling place, Skeptical Brotha chose principle over politics:

“I voted today and did as I said I would do and voted no preference for the Democratic nomination for President because I am profoundly dismayed and angered by the lack of backbone shown by Barack Obama during the recent attacks upon his faith and the Black Church.”

“I struggled mightily. The twenty minutes I stared at my ballot seemed like an eternity. I went back and forth several times. Surrounded by other blackfolks, I became self-conscious. I wrested with the lie I told the cheerful White Obama canvasser who ambushed me as I left my home. I then struggled with the commitment that I felt strongly enough to tell all of you about and my twenty-five year desire for a black President.”

The comments are interesting and illustrate a deepening, subterranean fissure in the black community. The division exists between those who see the attacks on Wright as an attack on the black church, and others who see Wright as a misbehaving threat to Obama’s candidacy. And it ain’t pretty.

Consider a response from one commenter to another in a series of back-an-forth between the two after Obama’s recent attempt to distance himself from Wright’s comments:

“I just read Obama’s comments from his press conference and he is a bitch-ass. He is a low-down, duplicitous bitch-ass. I’d punch him in his face right now if I can find him. I’m tired of these New Model Negroes co-opting Blackness for their convenience”

She then gets to the nub of BO’s MO:

“So…oh…he was using the church for cred and research to simulate us. But now that it is inconvenient, he slowly denies to feel pressed when the White Racists whip him to then deny us. So all that sitting in church was to pass out business cards and do research and development for a political career. I smell some funky shit.”

Oh my.

Interesting piece- I just got back from my State Convention (SC) jeez- if the local county structure supports obama- you can pretty much hang it up if you are a Hillary supporter.

Good news though- we got two tough delegates from my CD- they will do right by Hillary.

Also- just got some pics in from Hillary campaigning in Greensboro at a very small college (Guilford College) hoping you guys will stop by and play caption the picture with me!

http://www.politicalamnesia.blogspot.com

Omnia casa fiunt…..No ?
( Everything happens for a reason….No ? ”

It seems to me the healthiest thing to come from this with regards to Wrights’ congregation is that some may question the faith. A healthy skepticism in these matters is good for the soul and the inellect…No ?

” By analysis, we mean analyzing the contradictions in things…..”
Mao TsetTung, Quotations

jlazard10, Obama WAS true to himself. It was when he was sitting in that church pretending to be “authentically black” that he was faking it.

That man is NOT THERE FOR HIS PEEPS. I’m convinced that’s what pissed Wright off so much was the realization that this man was not really black but was actually sitting there using the black community to further himself. Twenty goddamned long years of posing and faking them out. Sugar n Spice said it on the SNS blog: the black community was their chick on the side. All too ready to forgive him for not being there when he was needed because they knew who his main chick was: white party liberals.

I’ve said it before — that man is NOT BLACK. He’s created a fake black identity for himself because it was useful to him, and now that sliding out of that identity like an overcoat is useful, he’s happy to do that. If his blackness meant anything to him, if he’d won it with sweat and hard work for his community, not only would he not be able to slide out of it, but he wouldn’t be willing to do so. When you achieve something with hard work, you value and prize it, and you wouldn’t toss it aside for anything.

Barack Obama threw his own blackness under the bus — because he didn’t treasure it anyway. It’s repulsive. And if he wins/had won, the black community would have seen them just as ignored for the sake of appearing “post-racial” as they’ve been all campaign long.

“the chick on the side.” Weird typo, there.

I find the most disturbing aspect of Obama is that his campaign is based on terrorizing the Democratic party and the American people into submission using race-baiting and fear-mongering. Equally if not more terrifying to me are the people that are helping Obama. As I wrote today (see here for context and other good stuff.):

“…the Obama campaign is (hope-y change-y via thuggery, racism and fear of race riots)…”

And this:

“By the way, I think the wiser of our national leaders have determined Obama has to be stopped very soon by all legal means available. They would feel this way because of Obama’s threats of a race war if he doesn’t get the nomination. Obama has to be stopped because of his dangerous self-fulfilling prophecy. In essence, Obama is threatening insurrection and this is a threat to our national security and our very way of life.”

And should we be surprised Ayer’s is “just his neighbor?” The Obama Trojan Horse’s legs have been cut off. We see who he is from whom he has embraced with his heart. Obama and those around him are clearly a danger to America and we will stop Obama with all legal means available to us.

The debate is over in my mind: there are no longer two Obama’s, the one from his past and the one he claims to be now. There is only one Obama and he has been misshaped so severely he is incapable of being commander-in-chief. We know the Obama of the past is also the present Obama because of the dangerous tactics employed in his campaign — those were shaped by Wright, Ayers, Rezko, etc.

Be careful of the company you keep.

Can’t share your respect of Reverend Wright. Anyone who disses my ability to clap and dance has earned my eternal enmity. Even as a 58 year old white woman I can still boogie with the best of them, as long as I don’t throw my back out.
I do, however, understand his hurt and anger at Obama, especially I read when Obama told Wright he was disinviting him from delivering the invocation at his announcement of his run for the presidency and that it would be better to have Wright’s designated successor, Wright graciously offered to call Reverend Moss on Obama’s behalf. Imagine Wright’s hurt and anger to be told by Obama that Moss had already been asked. What a slap in the face! (To his credit Moss declined.)Obama is a user.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/us/politics/01wright.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Obama%20Wright%20Moss&st=cse&oref=slogin

See this? We need to intervene with this plea to the SDs. Any ideas?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/superdelegates-must-tell_b_99951.html

I’m just getting ready to make calls.
But it looks like it’s great quote day.

“If you are squeamish, don’t prod the beach rubble.”
–Sappho

and

“The die is cast”

I think Obama really believes that everywhere Obama goes becomes Obama country. (And anyone who refers to themselves in the 3rd person is spooky to begin with.) Anyway, Obama sees the sea (there’s a turn of phrase) part before him (he does think he’s Moses, doesn’t he) and Obama doesn’t think so good so he doesn’t know that the sea fills in behind the one walking…. Obama trains his steely gaze
(doogus, MoFo) to the horizon, puts on his fake look of deep intent and fails to see the water behind him is rising, rising, rising. Obama (you $@#) you are about to go for a very exhausting swim.

And now I go to the phones.

A man who would throw his grandmother and his pastor under a bus may one day throw the American people under that same bus.

“Questioning faith” seems an oxymoron to me. But I do get your point you were saying “question the faith” meaning the divisionist “preaching” (more like political speech) going on. Yes, healthy skepticism is necessary.

No offense to anyone’s spiritual tradition or religion, but forcing yourself to find “god” or the “creator” or “how reality was formed and really works” I try to do individually and not at a church. I do understand and applaud the community aspect and good works of many religious institutions. We all have to walk, its just I prefer to walk alone on my quest for truth on some of the most puzzling mysteries known…

Sorry that I got OT, I’m in one of those moods I guess.

Hillary Clinton, Obama’s opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination…[has] exploited fears among significant numbers of white voters by creating a “scary” black figure in Wright, religious critics say.

Wrong. Hillary didn’t make Wright a pariah. His anti-American, anti-white views did.

Nor can we allow Obama’s political opponents to use Wright to feed racial prejudices.

Wright is a hateful man who’s been busted as such. Just because you do good doesn’t mean your bad can be excused.

That pastors such as Wright sometimes cross the line…”

From what we have seen (God Damn America, riding dirty, USKKK of A) crossing the line was this guy’s speciality. I’m sure there are plenty of megalomaniacs that did nice things. That doesn’t make them any less destructive.

Veey insightful Garlic-Nosed Guitarist.

Once a teacher, always a teacher. I have to correct my spelling mistake. Very.Very. Very.

Actually I am a good speller. Just a lousy typist.

“People of faith” absolutely hate being questioned.

I hate ytpos. And thanks, I’m working out a lot of ideas on this collective brainstorming tool here.

Generally I think our Presidental primary and general election season is way too long, but this year it has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It has provided enough time for Obama to show and prove what he is and is not. And it has given time for more people to see that. Hopefully it will also result in more votes for Hillary and not just more voters staying home and not voting at all.

Wright is hateful. It doesn’t matter whether he is black or white.

Bad spellers of the world UNTIE !!!!!

I’m sorry — but the prophet walked away from Wright this past week, instead of engaging the topic because he felt it was not going to help him politically. You all have to wake up that Obama is not a Messiah — he’s just a politician.

Obama also said in that speech you quote “I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother.”

You all have to realize — “Yes, he can!” There is no other way to interpret his actions last week.

Agreed.. I’ve posted before analogizing Obama’s run to the NewCoke campaign — which beat Pepsi in taste tests, but failed misreably when launched.

I believe that your observations are well-founded.

What reason do we have to think that he will not?

Hillary Clinton, Obama’s opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination, and right-wing commentators have exploited fears among significant numbers of white voters by creating a “scary” black figure in Wright, religious critics say.

Hillary exploited Wright’s comments? Nope. Not even close. I don’t like “critics say”, that is the same type of drive-by accusations that the right winger pundits use aka “unnamed sources.” Writing something so inflamatory then attributing it to a vague “critics” label, doesn’t work. It takes away from the rest of the message.

Hillary Clinton said that she would not have had Wright for a pastor. I would have to agree. Though the man has done some good, one sermon like that is enough to convince me I would want no part of that ideaology. Racists can do good things for other, they don’t walk around kicking people of other colors all day, they walk and work amongst us. That doesn’t erase the hateful words.

I went back and forth several times. Surrounded by other blackfolks, I became self-conscious.

That statement really jumped out at me. That is why I’m grateful for Hillary’s vocal AA supporters, like Patsy (soldier4hillary) that has a youtube channel, and gets her message out there that it’s okay to think for yourself and support Hillary.

I read over on (I think) the Black Agenda blog, and AA voters had posted about AA Hillary supporters being completely isolated socially at work, and harrassed, because they didn’t support Obama. The more visible AA support Hillary has, the easier it will be to counter that peer pressure.

” Thought, like all potent weapons, is exceedingly dangerous if mishandled. Clear thinking is therefore desirable not only in order to develope the full potentialities of the mind, but to avoid disaster….”
Giles St. Aubin. The Art of Argument
To continue to promote Obama is irrational. His electability defies logic.

I was thinking about the JJ dinner last night in North Carolina. the Obama fans booed the Governor and First Lady of NC.

I realized that here were these citizens of North Carolina (I’m assuming) who are disrespecting the Governor of their own State, a man who has worked for them every day, done things to improve their lives, and they’re trashing him in favor of a guy that they hadn’t even heard of a year ago, who hasn’t done a damn thing to improve their lives.

Some people said that lots of out-of-state OBama fans came to the dinner, but there was obviously locals, too. It’s a cult. Why else would people turn on those close to them in favor of someone that is nothing more than cellophane?

And taters essay on moral courage is very applicable, here, too.

Those are the people who will make a difference, who will prevail.

Obama supporters -rude and boorish behavior. That says it all.

Does anyone know if Obama asked his supporters not to boo once they started? I can’t believe he would just stand by and let that kind of rude behavior happen. The acts of Obama supporters continues to disgust me.

I’m going to Indiana tomorrow to work for the Hillary campaign. Wish me luck!

Non teneas aurum totum quod splendent ut aurum….
( Do not take as gold everything that shines like gold )
Obama by his very presense sews rancor and division. Everywhere you examine what he says, what he has done, who are his associates, there is only contradiction. If the only reason to support his candidacy is because of what he promises it is not supported by his record. If the only reason to support his candidacy is because he will bring harmony to the races this is not supported by the division he and his supporters have sewn between the races. He is literally a walking contradiction. It is illogical to assume that in a general election he is the most suitable candidate.
It is unreasonable for the democratic party to assume that it’s members will simply vote for any democratic candidate. When the party disreards flagrantly principles that it’s members hold dear it abandons it’s responsibility and integrity. The democratic party should serve ALL it’s members, not just a favored faction.

HYPOCRITE…..THY NAME IS BARACK OBAMA !…..

I beg to differ….I was fortunate to have Jesuit Professors in college who taught that the recurring examination of faith in anything whether that be philosophical, political, moral, etc….was the proper use of the intellect and coupled with experience, the path to wisdom….
” The unexamined life is not worth living. ” — Socrates

“Frankly, I’m going out on a limb and saying this guy can’t be trusted in the black community…”

Maybe not to far out onto a limb…Shelby Steele spoke about how people in general would eventually be disappointed in Obama after the mask dropped…

That includes black Americans, too, at this point…

Sorry, TOO…..

I’m suffering from a tooth that will be root-canal-ed next week….the pain, the antibiotics…please excuse my “to” in the previous post…

[...] media@politico.com (Ben Smith) wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSome parishioners at the United Church of Christ are so steamed by Barack Obama’s condemnation of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright that they say the presidential hopeful might want to find another place to worship. … [...]

I live in a Southern Baptist area, thus, my comment. I will stipulate your point.

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

[...] “Divorce” Deepens Rifts in African-American Communities Marie-Theresa Hernández wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSome parishioners at the United [...]

We need to tell the DNC to ignore the Color of Change people until the primary is over. There are people who haven’t had a chance to vote for Hillary yet, and we want to give them that chance. Anything less, and it may mean the end of the democratic party as we know it. How does that sound?

And you notice the trick of leaving “religious critics say” until the end, leading the reader to initially believe that the statement is a foregone conclusion.

I believe Obama addressed this in the “race speech” he made when this controversy first arose. To take it a bit further, understand that Afrocentric or “pro-Black” ideology in America is a vital way Blacks can establish a positive self-image and help heal the wounds created by a history of racism and slavery in this country. It is not reverse-racism, it is not divisive, it is not anti-white, it is not anti-American. It is a starting ground to establish a healthy and strong sense of self. One who is intelligent and forward thinking will take the positive experiences of that teaching and reject any residual backward and angry thinking that may rear its head with older Americans. That’s what he was saying. We Americans respect our elders, in the Black and White communities, we understand they may have limitations, maybe even bitter or angry thinking, we can reject those without rejecting the person and the things they bring to us that are enriching. We take that and go a step further, because once you can embrace yourself, you can embrace all good people around you, all races, all Americans.

There are at least ten reasons to not vote for Obama, that do not include his lack of judgement in choosing Wright as a pastor:



1)Obama refuses to speak to reporters/walks out of conferences. He is not a transparent politician. 



2)He was involved with Tony Rezko, who was indicted for influence peddling and is a corrupting influence in Illinois politics. 



3)Tony Rezko got millions of dollars from the government to create affordable housing in Obama’s district, now 11 of the buildings he was supposed to fix are boarded-up and are unlivable. 



4)Obama voted “present” hundreds of times instead of taking a stand because he did not want to offend contributors, like Robert Blackwell, who Obama helped obtain state grants for.



5)Obama chose as his mentor Bill Ayers and Dohrn, who are terrorists who detonated bombs on US territory and they helped him start his career. 



6)Obama lied about filling out a questionnaire that details his stand on many important issues like abortion, the death penalty and gun control. It has his handwriting but he said a staffer filled it out. Obama also lied about the Kennedy family helping his father. 



7)Obama also has acknowledged that he “voted by mistake” many times?! 



8)Obama made a statement that said his grandmother is “a typical white person” who has a “reaction bred” into her when she sees someone she does not know. 



9)Obama made a statement that small-town Americans are bitter and cling to guns, religion, and anti-trade sentiment.

10)Obama lies about the Clinton economic boom, if you go to FactCheck.org, you will see that Clinton is credited for passing the 1993 budget that helped create the boom of the 1990s.

If you want to see it on YouTube, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAUJeeKohNA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5l6oAD5d-s